Copper River Valley Alaska Photo Tour
Alaska is such a great place. I lived in Valdez for 4 years and liked it okay enough. But the real fun was "up country" in the Copper River Valley and in places like Chitina and McCarthy and Thompson Pass. It's a place where people fish and drink cheap beer all night by a campfire. It's a place with 25 acre homestead lots 2 and a half miles down a jeep track. It's a place to fill up the truck with firewood from the Spruce Bark Beetle kill. You can catch grayling on ultra light tackle or fight a king salmon for 45 minutes. Bush pilots, dog mushers and the usual cast of Alaskan characters are common and in their natural habitat - Alaska's Copper River Valley!
The drive alone can hook you for life. One minute you are rolling past braided rivers and old bridge crossings, and the next you are staring at glaciers, moose tracks, and weather that changes by the hour. Folks out here still wave from the other lane, still swap road tips at the gas pump, and still measure a good day by fish in the cooler and smoke on the grill. If you like big country, quiet mornings, and stories that get better around a fire ring, this part of Alaska has plenty of all three.
More at the Copper River Valley Visitor's Guide
Be sure to stop in Valdez and McCarthy.
Please enjoy the slideshow! Click a picture to see a larger view.
